AR Sandbox it’s finally here, though not exactly as I expected! I would have preferred it to be on the Google Play Store, but after two weeks of struggling to get the app accepted with no success, I’ve given up. Instead, I’ve uploaded the .apk to itch.io.

I’ve also scaled back the development a bit. Instead of the three parts I initially planned, I’ve completed two.

Face Filters

This feature involves face detection using the front camera. I downloaded various 3D models from Sketchfab, adjusted their sizes and materials, and created a simple UI with horizontal scrolling, allowing us to click each icon to change the mask we want to wear. The photo functionality is achieved by deactivating the UI and activating a small text watermark that references my website.

Plane detection & Object Placement

This involves detecting planes, in this case, only horizontal ones. Once detected, we use a UI similar to the Face Filters to select objects, then click again on any detected plane to place the object there. We can place as many objects as we want. To edit an object, simply click on it, and another UI appears – the “Edit Mode.” Here, clicking different buttons allows scaling, rotating, and moving the object through various gestures like pinching or dragging, or even deleting the object. There’s also an eye icon to show or hide the detected planes for more realistic photos.

The third functionality was going to be a kind of Tamagotchi or companion feature. However, this development took up a lot of time, more than I expected, and I don’t want to devote any more to it. As you know, I have a roadmap to follow, and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. I’d rather focus on other areas like virtual reality, Blender, or the next game I’m working on.

I might come back to finish this third part later. But I must say, my experience programming for AR hasn’t been very exciting. I know there are paid plugins that allow you to visualize changes without building in the editor, but since I don’t have them, I had to build for every small change to check if it worked, which felt like an eternity.

The important thing is that AR Sandbox it’s finished, one less thing on the list. New knowledge gained, and a new free app for you to try and take some funny photos.

You can download it from here: https://dekrud.itch.io/ar-sandbox

Oh, and all the 3D models and their artists are credited in the main menu under the information section.

Until next time!